Uploaded January 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Alice Blue Gown
Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, music by Harry Tierney
From the musical comedy "Irene"
Performed by Ben Pollack and His "Pick A Rib" Boys
Recorded September 11, 1937
Decca 1546

Muggsy Spanier (trumpet), Ted Vesely (trombone), Ben Kanter (clarinet), King Guion (tenor sax), Bob Laine (piano), Garry Adams (guitar), Francis Palmer (string bass), Ben Pollack (drums)

Alice blue is a pale tint of azure that was favored by Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt and which sparked a fashion sensation in the United States. The hit song "Alice Blue Gown", inspired by Longworth's signature gown, premiered in the 1919 Broadway musical Irene. "Irene" opened on Broadway November 19, 1919 and ran 670 performances. The cast included Edith Day, Walter Regan, Bobbie Watson, Eva Puck, Dorothy Walters and Gladys Miller. In April 1920, Edith Day left the cast to join the London version of the show.

The musical was made into a film in 1940 starring Anna Neagle and Ray Milland.